Customer Reviews

Vegan Cooking for One : Over 150 Simple and Appetizing Meals

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This wonderful cookbook is perfect for the single vegan. For each week, the book contains a shopping list of all ingredients needed for that week's recipes. No running to the supermarket to pick up additional food and no waste! I really like no longer having to divide the ingredients in recipes by four or six -- these recipes are made for one person. The shopping list is a great idea -- I appreciate not being left at the end of the week with 1/2 can of beans, for example.

I have cooked every single recipe in the book, with the exception of some of the desserts. The recipes are varied, both in type of food and in ingredients used. I have rarely come across a cookbook with as high a proportion of the recipes ones I would definitely cook again. As with any cookbook, there are a few nits:

(1) For a very few weeks, ingredients are missing on the shopping list. (Usually, it's only a carrot or an extra onion.)
(2) Only one recipe did not seem to work at all -- the dumpling recipe. This may be due more to my technique than the recipe.
(3) There are very few ingredients that can't be found in a typical supermarket -- I have been able to find everything at my local natural foods grocer.

This book has become the backbone of my food plan. I look forward to coming home to varied, easy-to-prepare meals -- often with enough left over for breakfast!

This book has includes dinner (and lunches on the weekends) for cooking for one vegan. Once a week desserts (fruit based) are also given. Each week comes with a shopping list for the meals you'll be cooking so you can easily shop for groceries. In addition, the book is separated into spring/summer and fall/winter recipes so you can cook with whichever vegetables are cheap and abundant.


On the negative side, there are not many seasonings used and most of the recipes come out on the bland side. That said, the amounts these recipes yield are quite large and sometimes I am unable to eat the whole batch! Overall, I give this book five stars because it has a great variety in the recipes it offers so you'll not get bored easily. Ingredients are easily obtained from any grocery store (a few items are specialized and are available at natural food markets).

This is the most used cookbook in my collection because the recipes are simple, quick and often use the staples of every kitchen. It really helped my transitioning to vegan diet. I highly recommend it for new vegans or those considering adopting the diet.

I have recently become vegan and this is the first cookbook I bought. It has incredible recipies that are so easy to follow, and incredibly delicious. To counter the previous review, I either use a non-stick pan or use cooking spray when oil is asked for. What I don't like about other cookbooks is that it is hard to reduce servings from 4-6 servings to 1 or 2, rather, it is much easier to double or triple one when you have company. I also love that the author has a no waste attitude, meaning what you buy on the shopping list each week is used up THAT week. I hate that normal cookbooks will ask for a teaspoon of something you will end up throwing away when it goes bad in the fridge. My boyfriend loves this cookbook so much, he claims that what I cook is above restaurant quality, and there is such variety in the book of tastes and styles of cooking. I recommend this cookbook to any vegan, whether newly vegan or someone who wants a little more variety. Try the indonesian noodles with peanut sauce or the tofu with cashews and vegetables to start, you will be hooked.

Great Vegan resource. Compared to many other cookbook, this one uses a very efficient system: gives a shopping list that will cover your cooking needs (recipes listed) for that whole week, and also customizes the shopping lists for specific seasons (Spring/Summer or Autumn/Winter).

Some things to keep in mind before buying the book:
a) Make sure you have/buy most if not all the Staples listed at the beginning of the book
b) There are some ingredients listed that may not be available in your regular grocery stores (and you will have to look for them in a health food store)
c) The recipes DO NOT call for a ton of oil/vegan-margarine (one tablespoon is the most I have seen).
d) Some recipes are super-yummy, others would work a little better with different spices, and others I would not make again.

SIDE NOTE: Since the Vegan diet contain No animal-based fats (and thus Zero cholesterol) it is important to keep in mind and consume cold-pressed essential oils (Essential Fatty Acids like omega-3 and omega-6 from flax, olives, sesame, etc.) on a regular and moderate basis.

Nevertheless, by following a daily diet using this book one will get sufficient essential nutrients, a variety of seasonal legumes and grains, and many times larger dishes than they can finish.

This is BY FAR the most clever cookbook I've ever used. I've had it for a while and just recently decided to use it as it is intended. I followed the shopping list and have been making the recipes for the week. My thoughts:

1. recipes are varied, interesting and delicious
2. recipes are easy to prepare, and quick to make
3. the shopping list takes all the planning out of weekly cooking.
4. because you only have to go shopping once, it is fun to see what the next meal will turn out to be.

Seriously, my husband is not a vegan and he has been eagerly asking me each day, so what's for dinner tonight! Because you know you have all the ingredients and they are so simple to make I almost feel like I am eating out each night trying something new. There really is a lot of variety and taste. These recipes were carefully tested because each and everyone so far has gone off without a hitch (and leftovers!)

I have been a vegatarian for about 7 yrs. I've always wanted to go vegan, but living with my parents I couldn't. Now that I'm old enough and living on my own, I've made the move to vegan. However, it seemed like I was always eating the same things and I wanted to try some new recipes. Of course being on my own, when I used other cookbooks I had tons of leftovers and was eating them for days. I saw this book while browsing Amazon and liked the fact that it is designed for busy single people.
I got the book a couple of days ago and so far have liked all the recipes. I love that fact that she gives you a shopping list for each week, and splits the book up into seasons. The recipes can be a little bland, but it isn't hard to add a little more flavoring to whatever you cooking. My only complaint with this book is that not all of the ingredients are readily available to everyone. I live in a small rural town in the Southeast. It is impossible to find some of the ingredients like soy margarine/butter or truly vegan cheeses. I could order them online but that is more expensive. It would be nice if she had alteratives for some of the harder to find items. Right now I'm experimenting with different things on my own, but true newbies to cooking and vegatarian/vegan diets might find it difficult trying to figure out what works if they do not have the ingredients available.

I have just recently deceided to go vegan and have found this a useful book. It is divided into 2 sections, spring/summer and winter/fall. Each section contains a nine week rotation divided by weeks and each week starts with a grocery list. The recipes aren't too flashy, but they are easy to cook and not to scary for the newbie vegan.
The only caution I would give people is that she uses ALOT of oil to cook, as much as 4 or 5 tablespoons in some dishes, so unless you still want to ingest the fat equivalent of roughly 2 big macs you'll want to substitute with veggie broth or a spray.
If your a busy, single, vegan person I think you will find this book very helpful.

If you already own Ms. Leneman's book Single Vegan, do not buy this book.
Several years ago I bought Single Vegan, I recently started using it and enjoyed the shopping lists and the portion sizes. I decided that 5 weeks of Fall/Winter recipes weren't enough, and was thrilled to see that Ms. Leneman had another book out. I was even happier to read that it was set up the same was as Single Vegan. Yay! I was going to have 10 weeks of Fall/Winter recipes to rotate through, and 10 weeks of spring/summer recipes.

Well, my book just arrived. I happily flipped through to week 1 of Fall/Winter and what did I find? I found that this week's menu is the same thing as week 1 of the Fall/Winter recipes in Single Vegan. From what I saw, all the weeks of Fall/Winter are the same as what I already own.

2 stars only because I expected something different. More stars though if you consider that I liked the original enough to want more. Oh, be willing to play with seasoning and not to go strictly by the book

I decided to go vegetarian a few months ago, and have been purchasing cookbook after cookbook. Out of all the ones I own, this is got to be the most useful. The shopping lists at the beginning of each week's list make preparation a cinch, and I'm not ending up with five times the food. A lot of the recipes end up with some leftovers, which is great for saving money at lunch the next day (and not for the next week!) Some of the recipes are on the blandish side, but I'm one of those people whose philosophy is "the spicier the better." I just add a little extra pepper or something else to give it a kick, and the recipe's fine for me!

I really love this cookbook. I'm not really much of a cook, and after I went vegan I feel into a rut of packaged rice and beans and canned veggies. I got other vegan cookbooks but I didn't really know where to start with them. This cookbook, however, divides the meals into days of the week and puts a grocery list at the beginning of each week. So instead of debating over what to eat and planning ahead for my grocery trip, I just take the list with me and I have dinners planned for the whole week. The food has been surprisingly good, too. I've only had one bad recipe, but I think I cooked that wrong anyways. The deserts aren't really that creative, they're basically just fruit with soygurt or baked fruit with sugar/maple syrup on top (that's good on soy ice cream) but the dinners more than make up for it. If you're a more experienced cook who's just new to veganism then you might like a more elaborate cookbook, like the Veganomican, but if you're not good at cooking or are having problems finding one-serving recipes then you'll love this book.